Category Archives: Culture

Plenty of children grow up faithfully watching Disney musicals such as the 1991 version of Beauty and the Beast, and become inspired by the book-loving character of Belle. However, many kids are now getting the chance to experience the story in both animated and live-action movies, thanks to Bill Condon, director of the 2017 Beauty and the Beast. The movie that came out just this March is quite an exciting experience, but certainly not without its flaws. The musical motifs of Beauty and the Beast in both versions express themes such as love, magic, triumph, and even evil. However, there are several differences and additions to the music of the new version. The original music created for this year’s movie seemed quite disjoint to me at first, but it became clear to me as the movie progressed that it actually was very reflective of the movie’s mood because a few things had been changed and added in the story. The song that seemed to tether the different attitudes of the songs was the Beast’s solo called “Evermore”, which displays the Beast coming to terms with his decision to do the right thing and free Belle. In addition to being comprehensively creative, all of the the new music was much more rhythmically free – for example, Emma Thompson took some tasteful rhythmic liberties when singing the iconic, “Beauty and the Beast”. While on the whole it was freer rhythmically, it was certainly also a trend with this cast to sing Senza Vibrato, or in English, straight tone (a vocal technique more closely identified with pop singing). For some voices, such as Ewan McGregor’s Character Lumiere, this worked quite well – possibly due to this style being a distinctive that has worked for him before in musicals. However, the technique did not treat Emma Watson as well; her auto-tuned melodies seemed to have no growth, and it seemed she could not produce any sound worth listening to for longer than a few bars. Her timid vocal interpretation of Belle was bland and frankly disappointing for me, despite her sensational acting.

A few other actors’ voices also stood out to me as I watched this movie. Gaston (Luke Evans) and LeFou (Josh Gad) stole the show as they put on a number celebrating the character Gaston. While Gaston was different from the original movie in that Luke Evans created a character who I grew to hate more and more over time, the song “Gaston” remains an extremely fun scene with astounding improvement in energy from the original version. In both this number and later on in the movie, Josh Gad creates even more character depth than before for the character LeFou, as well as utilizing his incredible upper range and impeccable comedic timing. Finally, it is necessary to restate the brilliance of the heart-wrenching solo by the Beast called “Evermore”. His outstanding vocals crafted a beautiful piece of music that, to me, was imperative to the pinnacle of the story. Alan Menken quite literally outdid himself with these pieces, both vocal and instrumental, as he composed for the 1991 version, as well as the 2017 version.

Now what does Beauty and the Beast have to do with a library? Over the past 25 years, much has changed about Beauty and the Beast, but certainly not Belle’s love of books, learning, and the thirst for knowledge that drew the Beast and Belle together. It’s a “tale as old as time” that learning new things can help us know each other better, and inspire us to love each other deeper.

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.” (Philippians 2:14-15)

5 a.m. Jolted awake by yet another fire alarm. The Heritage Hall microwaves are at it again. As the residents of Heritage gathered outside the building in 30 degree air – some wrapped in blankets, some wearing shorts and t-shirts, some fully dressed and ready to take on the day – there were many conversations going on, but as I sat shivering on the curb, there was a theme that kept jumping out at me as I overheard snippets of conversations: complaining.

“I have to be up in two hours!” “I have to go to class!” “I just want to be back in bed.” “Who makes popcorn at 5 a.m?!” “I’m gonna hunt down whoever set it off this time.”

I’m tired.

I’m cold.

I’m this.

I’m that.

Fellow Cairn students, I have a newsflash for you: We’re all tired.

Throughout the past few weeks, conversations around campus have been marked with the consistent theme of complaints – about the food in the MAC, about professors, about due dates, papers, lack of sleep, friend drama, Student Life, you name it. The fact is that we’re all struggling. It’s November! It’s the time of the semester when huge papers start piling up, daunting reading assignments take forever to finish, and getting any amount of decent sleep seems impossible. It is so easy to begin to believe that you are the only person who is experiencing stress, exhaustion and the feeling of being completely overwhelmed. But the truth is, you’re not the only one.

This fact presents a point of encouragement and a challenge. Be encouraged that you are not alone. You are not the only one who is buried by life, and therefore, we are buried together. We can take this opportunity to walk alongside one another, to point each other back to Jesus, to remind each other that our strength and joy in each day comes only from HIM, not from ourselves. We are a community of believers. We have the amazing opportunity to live together, eat together, learn together, grow together, and experience 5 a.m. fire alarms together.

A couple weeks ago in chapel, Dr. Williams challenged us to practice encouraging one another. Giving each other courage, empowering one another. Can I ask you to do just that? Think twice about the words that you speak. There is value in being honest with each other concerning the condition of our hearts and in sharing our burdens, but there is equal value in building one another up. There needs to be a balance of the two.

Friends, we have this hope that Christ sustains us. He sustains us through each day, each moment, each assignment, each sleepless night. Because of this hope, we have the freedom to be filled with joy. But we have to choose it. Choose to be joyful rather than pessimistic. Choose to look on the bright side. Choose to notice the beautiful fall leaves. Choose to be thankful for the fact that we are here, doing life together. Yes, it’s hard. Yes, it’s stressful. Sometimes it involves shivering outside at an ungodly hour rather than catching a few more hours of sleep. But this stressful and overwhelming college life is where God has called each of us. It is in this season of stress that He can best teach us to surrender our schedules to Him and to look to Him for strength to get everything done on time. Let’s choose to make the best of it, and to help each other to see this time as a blessing, instead of a burden.

As John Piper wisely stated: “If you live gladly to make other glad in God, your life will be hard, your risks will be high, and your joy will be full.”

So you know how the Masland Library has Databases? Well, we have a new database and its call Mango Languages. Now I know Cairn offers Greek, Hebrew and Spanish (only one of which you can speak), but if you want to learn a new language, are interested in a language, or simply want to brush up on a language, Mango is the place to go.

Mango offers French, Hawaiian, Arabic, Yiddish, Pirate (yes pirate is what you think it is), Tagalog, Icelandic, and even sign language. Altogether they offer 72 different languages that you can choose from (including English as a foreign language courses). Having explored the site myself, it is very user friendly and easy to use, it also incorporates all of your senses (minus taste and smell), so it makes learning that much easier! By all means, go check it out you won’t regret it!

That is what humanity has been so obsessed with for all of time. Whether it was oral tradition passed down generation to generation or some of the first ones written down like Gilgamesh, humanity has been so fascinated by stories. Think about even the boring epics you have to read in class, when you hear the condensed version suddenly a whole world in brought to life and it’s suddenly interesting. Even now one of the biggest industries in the world, Hollywood, does nothing but tell a tale that sucks us in and has us talking for weeks. Think about most of your conversations with friends, what are they? Often times we are telling each other stories about our experiences or even the experiences of others.

Tolkien picked up on this in his book the Twin Towers: “Still, I wonder if we shall ever be put into songs or tales. We’re in one, of course, but I mean: put into words, you know, told by the fireside, or read out of a great big book with red and black letters, years and years afterwards.” Stories stick in our heads. I think this is why Jesus told stories. When we think about the words of Jesus it is so easy to bring back the prodigal son or the story of the seeds that grew and the ones that did not. Even the Bible as a whole tells us a story. When we share the gospel in essence what we are doing is telling people the greatest story ever. It’s amazing. The library is full of great biographies of people’s life stories. The amazing things they have done. Or even fiction novels that are some of the greatest stories ever written. So I challenge you, find a story. Write one, read one, or maybe for the first time discover your own. If Lit and Arts has taught me anything it’s long after we are gone the stories will live on.

As the vote on the Scottish referendum approaches, the vote to stay or go has drawn near to a 50/50 split. For decades, many of the Scottish people wished to be their own country, separated from England and the Queen. But becoming an independent country is no easy task; there are many details that must be considered in order for independence to be a wise choice. Although Scotland already has their own educational system, health care, and police force run independently of England, questions such as the economy and currency, energy, oil and gas, pensions and welfare, citizenship and immigration, military, and the possibility of obtaining EU membership, must be considered.

Scotts desire to have more control in what takes place within their own government. Currently, with the UK’s system of government and parliament there is devolution (the delegation of power to a lower level) this gives Scotland a certain amount of control within their country. Many Scots are currently arguing that they do not have enough power and that the only way to truly make the best decisions for Scotland they need to have their own government system in place. Others argue, that a No vote for the referendum is better, for with it, they are not giving up the possibility of gaining more control, but rather, from a no vote a greater devolution would take place.

As of this point, the current polls are:

No – 47%

Yes – 46%

Don’t Know- 7%

There is much or the UK’s system of government that I still yet to fully understand, there are so many different approaches that countries can set in place to be run successfully. Although I may not understand all of what is taking place, it has been fascinating keeping up with this news through the use of The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Wall Street Journal that are both located within the library, along with the BBC’s website. Having both of these newspapers and many more at the library are a wonderful resource to expand out of the “bubble” of college and keep connected with all that is taking place in the world.

Welcome to Cairn! It’s exciting isn’t it? All of the new people, new places, new sounds, new surroundings can be so exhilarating….. or, if you are like me when I first arrived, completely overwhelming! You suddenly feel like you were thrown into a Twilight Zone setting where you are expected to attend all of your classes, EVERY chapel, do all of the readings, papers, projects for EVERY class, oh and keep up a healthy regime of eating right at EVERY meal and exercising in the gym at the MAC. Not to mention all of the activities that help build community so of course you are obligated to go EVERY single one because who doesn’t want to be part of community?!

Stop. Take a deep breath. Count to ten. Let it out.

Before you get too far into the semester, let me offer you some tips that I have learned (and am still learning!):

Number 1: You don’t have to do it all. Yup I said it. Obviously homework is a must because without it we wouldn’t learn but don’t feel like you have to attend every activity this school has to offer. Think of them as options. If you like music, attend the music events that seem interesting to you. Or maybe you like to participate in sports, there is always a sporting event you can attend and cheer on the Highlanders! Intramurals are also a great way to be involved in sports. You get exercise and community; two for the price of one!

Number 2: Sometimes you have to use your chapel skips. They give us nine for a reason! Maybe you had a long night of studying and really need that 50 minute break in your schedule to recuperate. Take that time by yourself to refocus on the reason why you are doing all of this. Seek God’s strength to help you through. Pray, read the passage of Scripture that is most encouraging to you, and even sing songs that help draw you closer to God.

Number 3: The Library is here for YOU! Remember all of that reading and those papers you need to write? The Library is a great place to accomplish it all! It’s quiet all the time (unlike the dorms) and the Library staff are here to help you with researching topics and finding books. There are even whole rooms set aside to help keep you focused on your task. Have a question? The student workers and Librarians will do their best to answer them! There are no “stupid” questions and we love to help!

(P.S Did you know we have a movie collection??? Stop in during the Library’s hours and pick up a movie to unwind from all of the homework you are working on!)

]Here’s to you Freshmen in having the best first semester of your college career!

Pray often, Laugh a lot, and hold on tight because college flies by quickly!

In case you missed the first part of this blog series, I have set out to show Masland Library visitors that the library is a valuable resource for social entertainment. In Part I, I hit on some of the library’s top movies of various genres. While movies are great entertainment for large groups of people, they do not necessarily facilitate great social interaction. If there is much interaction, the movie has probably become background noise and everyone missed an important movie scene. So now I bring you to music, the perfect element to set the mood for your social events. Even you are the loner of the party Taylor Swift once eloquently stated, “People haven’t always been there for me but music always has.” Therefore, I encourage you to check out some of the library’s music and let it permeate the atmosphere of your social life.

Music

*The library’s CD collection can be found on the 2ndfloor on your left before entering the computer lab. Although I will not expound upon them here, the Masland Library has some RECORDS available to borrow. If you are retro enough to own a record player, ask us more on how to get your hands on a record.

Romantics Sampler – CD M5 .R663 1995

Let me clarify first by saying this is not a compilation of songs for a passionate date. The word Romantics refers to a time period and genre of classical music from the 18th century. This is music is called romantic because it explored the breadth of emotion in a way music had not before. Therefore, the modern music listener can find great refreshment in these pieces.

Scott Joplin Piano Rags – CD M25 .J81 P53 2004

Now these are some true American originals. Just imagine you and your friends in some small town establishment out west 100 years back, playing cards and listening to an old man tickling the ivories with some good old rag time.

Spanish Guitar – CD M126 .S62 2002

This CD is sure to bring that spice that was missing from your life. Do not forget about this one for all of your Cinco de Mayo parties.

Quartets – CD M450 – CD M457.4

While great majority of our CD’s consist of classical music, I wanted to highlight the quartet section of the collection. In Fall of 2013 the world renown Ying String Quartet came and played for our school. Some of the greatest classical music was written for such a group of players on these instruments: two violins, a viola, and a cello. Only four instruments! This music is not only for the sophisticated.

Jazz, Louis Armstrong – CD M1356 .A736 D445 2000

Jazz, Duke Ellington – CD M1366 .E461 D933 2000

Jazz, Coleman Hawkins – CD M1366 .H395 C654 2000

If you have not been sufficiently exposed to big band jazz, you are missing out on one of the greatest musical joys in life. This music may, dare I say it, make you want to dance. To give you a little more direction within these three artists, Louis Armstrong played some mean trumpet (and had a great voice!), Duke Ellington worked the piano, and Coleman Hawkins played some sweet tones on the tenor saxophone.

Star Wars Original Trilogy Soundtrack – CD M1527.2 .W721 S27 2004

It is Star Wars. Need I say more?

International Music Mix – CD M1627 .I58 1999

A little bit of this. A little bit of that. Musical flavors from all around the globe. Now you can connect with all of your multicultural friends!

Simon and Garfunkel – CD M1630.18 .S55 S5 1972

I have always considered these guys to be the original indie band. They formed a new genre of folk-rock in the 1960’s. That may seem old but their music does not sound it. Simon and Garfunkel is great for the car or chilling at all times of the day.

Soulful Music by Leontyne Price – CD M1670 .P953 1996

I cannot say I have ever listened to this lady, but I do know she was famous. The nature of the music of this album is just as the title suggests.

Manheim Steamroller, Christmas in the Aire – CD M2065 .M354 C475 1995

If you have ever listened to Christmas music on the radio, you must have heard Manheim Steamroller. I would describe them as new age electric orchestra rock going wild on Christmas tunes. These songs could put you in the holiday mood in July.

Michael Card, The Hidden Face of God – CD M2198 .C37 2006

Michael Card is an older but well known Christian artist that came to our school in Fall of 2013. This is only one of several albums we have of his, but check them all out!

When homework continually piles up throughout the semester, it is hard to think of doing any independent study for one’s own benefit. But sometimes, some independent study is actually more refreshing than draining.

During this semester, I have had the opportunity to begin studying Islam. For one of the fastest growing religions in the world, it is upsetting how little I knew about it. Once I decided that I desired to know more, I began perusing a few different sections within our library that contained literature on the subject. I found many decent resources, but I must say that my favorite book that I stumbled upon is Unveiling Islam by Ergun Mehmet Caner and Emir Fethi Caner. Although I am currently only 54 pages in, this book has taught me a substantial amount about this belief system.

The authors of Unveiling Islam, Ergun and Emir, are brothers who were raised as Sunni Muslims. Now, highly respected theology professors, Ergun and Emir wrote this book together in order to present the practices, ethics, and beliefs of Islam. Ergun and Emir helpfully present the Islamic beliefs by directly contrasting them to Christianity.

Some other books that were also helpful to me were Islam: A Short Guide to the Faith by Roger Allen and Shawkat M. Toorawa, and A New Anthropology of Islam by John Bowen.

As college students, there is so much to balance, and the idea of adding one more thing onto our plate doesn’t exactly sound like the most appetizing option, but amidst all of the stress of homework and extracurricular activities, it can be nice to set aside some time to invest in an area that is unrelated to your studies that interests you. Balancing time is key, but I encourage you to take a book, fiction or non-fiction, and set aside time during your semester to read for fun. With always reading for classes, the joy of reading tends to disappear. I challenge you to remember that reading can actually be quite an enjoyable endeavor.

Summer has past and Fall is upon us. Colorful, crisp falling leaves, warm sweaters and boots, pumpkin spice everything, and fresh chilly air that nips at your nose and fingers. To me, this is the most beautiful time of year because of the contradiction of warm colors and cool air. This is also the time of year for Fall festivals and farmers markets that showcase all of the wonderful colors and flavors that fall has to offer. Bucks County has many events planned for this fall and most events are already in full swing.

Did you know that the library page now has a LibGuide with all sorts of information about what to do in this area? Well it does! I was very excited to find this out especially since I am always looking for inexpensive breaks from homework and the daily bustle of life. So if you are looking for a break from homework or just need something to do on the weekends to celebrate the beautiful season of Fall I would encourage you to follow this link http://libguides.cairn.edu/what_to_doand check it out!

This is a list of 6 helpful tips that, if I had cared more about them earlier, would have saved me from a lot of stress. As a Senior, I wish I had taken this advice much seriously much sooner. (Disclaimer: All of these are from my life. If they describe you it is merely coincidence)

1. Check and respond to your Cairn email. I’ve missed numerous deadlines (payments, book return dates, etc.)because I either neglected to read my email or just chose not to care, expecting that things would go my way. Entitlement is not an appropriate Christian attitude.Lesson Learned: Freshman Year

2.Take responsibility. I don’t know about you, but I have weaseled my way out of lots of problems, even at a Biblical university. I like to blame the cosmic forces that are (so, God I guess) for every problem that comes my way. “I’m sorry,” is a much better response than, “I can’t pay that $500 fine for this overdue book because I’m busy and never check my school email.”Lesson Learned: Sophomore Year

3.Work now, play later. Prioritizing your life as a student means that assignments come first. If for some reason they can’t, then you need to re-prioritize so they can. Completing work on-time and completing work well can be an act of worship with the right motivation. Do all things to the glory of God.Lesson Learned: Junior Year

4. Print assignments early. A lot of folks like to print out papers 10 minutes before their class starts. Waiting in line at the printer can be super frustrating especially if the printer malfunctions (which can happen), and puts you in a poor mood for class.Lesson Learned: Sophomore Year

5. Accept help with grace. Cairn faculty, staff, and student workers are not out to get you. We want to help because we in fact do know that life is tough, stressful, and out-of-control at times. If you let go of pride and accept help (or let go of pride that things could ever dare go wrong for you) then we can help you more effectively.Lesson Learned: Junior Year

6.Trust Jesus. Ultimately, a failing grade does not have eternal weight. It may bring shame or disappointment, but your righteousness and approval before God is found solely in Christ. If you truly grasp that, you have the power to go before a professor and admit your mistakes (not hiding them because you fear punishment) and even ask for help. Repentance plays just as important role in human relationships as it does with God and will prevent a lot of problems from getting as bad as you might let them.Lesson Re-learned: Every Year